Christmas Update

Are you wondering where I went? I know you are. You're sitting there in your PJs in front of your computer wondering "Where is Nicole?" Well, we've been in the middle of nowhere Georgia, and I say that in the most loving way. Middle of Nowhere Georgia is where my in-laws live and they live on a big piece of property. You know you are in the middle of nowhere when you can't even get a cell signal and the land lines are spotty. Anywho- the girls have had a blast at their Granny and Grandaddy's "farm". There's been plenty of four-wheelin', hay rides, bird house painting, campfires, s'mores, and last night we even had a scary story telling in a big tent- complete with ghosts and goblins outside scaring us. Like I said- a blast. Our Christmas was very blessed with being with our family and savoring these times together...and lots of food. I hope your Christmas was equally as special for you.

Today- off to my parents house to have fun with Nana and Papa and Great-Granny! More fun times to come!

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Wind, You Blow!

I woke up today in a bad mood. I guess it started last night when having a conversation with my husband. We were both so stressed out; him about work, etc. and me about my to-do list with 11,968 things on it. So, I don't think we were both considering the other ones feelings. It wasn't anything bad, just the usual the-kids-are-screaming-and-running-around-and-we're-trying-to-have-a-real-conversation. Silly us. We know better than to try to talk when the girls are awake. We try and save it until they are in bed. But then you have distractions like phone calls, or video games, or books or... ahem...the Internet. But, I digress. We're talking about today. So, I woke up in a bad mood. And then, in an attempt to save me from spiraling into a worse mood I contact my PIC to see if she needs to do some shopping today. (Cause I have NOTHING to do, right? I mean, the bags will pack themselves, I'm sure.) She does, so off we go. Then I remember why I hate people. I remember why I do most of my shopping on "off" hours, or online. Why is it that people go crazy at Christmas time?? No one can drive or park right. No one has any smiles on their faces. Everyone is a huge Bah Humbug! Then it's so -excuse my french- freaking COLD outside! Really old man winter? Really? Why? Why do you have to be 25 degrees and blowing 20 mph winds? And then, I have to take the girls to dance class tonight in all this. Awesome. Can't wait for that. There is one thought getting me through dance class though, and if you are my friend on facebook, you might know what that is. But there is another thought that's getting me through dance class tonight. And that is leg warmers. Yep, good old fashion 80s leg warmers. Avery and Ella have some now and will break them in tonight. Should be too cute!

**The making of this post in no way means to throw a pity party for myself. I'm just a little, ok a lot, irritated today.

Monday's Stream of Consciousness

Do you remember in school when in your English class your teacher made you sit down and for five minutes you had to keep your pencil to the paper and just write everything that came into your mind? Well, I apologize in advance, probably not the most interesting read, but I need to get it out of me! Here you go! Proceed with caution.

Man, it's getting so close to Christmas! I feel like it's just a week away for us, and I guess it kinda is bc we're leaving on Saturday for a looooooong trip . We have decided to drive all the way through to southern Georgia. We usually stay over in Atlanta with my sister-in-law, but the Hubs just wants to get to his parents house. I can understand that, I mean, he did just go to Afghanistan and he misses them a lot. Hopefully his sister will be there shortly after we get there so we can visit with her too. The girls love her so much. So, bc this trip is so close, that means I have to wash everything in the house. Clothes, rugs, beds, etc. Clean all the bathrooms, mop the floors, make sure all the trash is taken out when we leave (I missed this last important step when I went home for 6 weeks while living in Alaska, and came back to the stench of rotting diaper. Yeah- no bueno.) also need to clean out the fridges and make sure all the perishable stuff is either eaten or given away. Whew. So, of course, on top of me thinking about all that I have to do, I woke up this morning deciding to wash our sheets on my bed to go ahead and get them done, only to find out that not only did Ella have an accident in her bed, but so did Avery. Awesomesauce. So, as I type I have a MOUND of sheets, blankets and the constant mound of clothes to wash and dry and put away today. Oh- and we're out of milk and it's snowing. Snow is fine- and cold is fine, but when wind is mixed in with little girls wanting to catch snowflakes on their tounges- this equals a cold mama! Did I tell you I got my hair done last week? I did! It's been 6 months or more since I've had it cut, primarily bc I'm growing it out. So, my good girlfriend has a friend that will come to your house and do your cut and color. My PIC and I rejoiced at this idea that we didn't have to make a trip out to a pricey salon and leave our kids. Oh- wait- well, she did. I, on the other hand, did leave my kids. Ella's school has a new drop-in child care, so Cams got to go to school for a couple of hours. She loved it so much- and so did I! Anyway, the girl came and she turned out to be super nice. We made muffins and had coffee and got our hair done! Wow, this is becoming incredibly long and jumbled. See I told you to proceed with caution. Ok, I'll end it now. Gotta go do some laundry anyways.

When you take a trip, do you feel like you need to clean the house before you leave so you come back to a clean house? I totally do! I mean, on top of a long trip and all the dirty clothes and luggage, etc. to put away, do you really think you'll feel like doing it in a dirty house? I don't.

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am Thankful for:

Pumpkin Spice coffee. Oh yeah, so gooood!

The few spots left in America that know the meaning of customer service. I WILL find them one day, I just know it!

Soldiers that put their lives and their families lives on hold to serve our country. Let us not forget about them this holiday season.

My neighbor- or should I say- my partner in crime (PIC). I'm so glad we have great neighbors and friends. Moving so much can really take it's toll on relationships, so when I find a good friend I try not to take it for granted.

Awesome Christmas cards!

Beautiful wrapping paper. Seriously, the love I have for my wrapping paper this year borders on disturbing.

Promises of future visits with family. 2011 will hopefully see us taking a few trips to places we haven't been before. Can't wait!


That's what I'm thankful for today. What are you thankful for?

Did You Get the Memo?

It's (insert time of day here), the house is quietly humming along, everyone is occupied doing something they want to do. Or, maybe the kids are finally behaving and are entertained. In other words, this was my weekend. Yes, there were times of fighting and screaming and yelling, and the girls were no better (rimshot please), but there are times of peace and everyone getting along and hugs and kisses. My heart swells when I think of times like this. Oh how I love times like this. But then what happens? The phone rings. Yep. And it's someone you really want to talk to, maybe you haven't spoken in awhile and there are things to catch up on. This is the precise second the kids go on "Hey!Mom's-on-a-phone-call-and-she-can't-yell-at-us-HaHa-Let's-Go-WILD!" spree. Does this happen to you?! So, here you are trying to put together intelligent ADULT conversation all the while you swear the kids must be jumping on the beds so hard that they'll come through the ceiling any minute. Then, the screaming starts. It may be good screaming or it may not be. But it's SCREAMING!!! At the top of their lungs. And it's inside your brain. Then comes the crying. "So, what are you doing for Christmas?" They ask you. "Um, Avery! STOP THAT! Campbell! Stop screaming! Ella! Put your clothes on!" This is not the impression I want people to have of me and my kids. I love them very much and even if I think they are not as well-behaved as I may want them to be, I know they are very good kids. But- Come on! I'm pretty sure all kids are like this, but it's so frustrating! It's like the girls don't want me to have any friends and keep me all to theirselves. Don't they know an unhappy mama is an unhappy house? Atleast here it is. So, my questions to you are- does this happen to you? What do you do? How do I make them behave when I'm on the phone? Is that even possible? And before anyone says- occupy them with something else to do while you talk- ok- that works when there is like 1 kid and they are very young. That must be before they get the memo at playdates or something.

Let it Begin!

Tonight, I took the girls to Avery's school for cookies and cocoa with Santa. (the REAL Santa! as Avery says) They were SUPER DUPER excited to see him arrive on a fire truck and walk in to sit in his special chair. We got there early to avoid the crowd and it worked! We were number 3! Woo Hoo!

The look on Avery's face is priceless!

Then, we got ourselves some cookies and cocoa.

And then, I thought the fun shouldn't stop there. I knew of a local nursery that puts up amazing lights. It wasn't too far away so we took a drive with Christmas music on the radio and found all the pretty trees lit up.

It feels like our Christmas season has now officially begun!

Tomorrow- Christmas tree!

Update Update!

GAH! Just where have you been?! Oh wait, that was me who was MIA. Well, I hope you can forgive me. I know you've been waiting and waiting, constantly checking the blog for an update or something to get you your Party of Five fix. Well, now you can rejoice! An update is here!

We were very busy with my cousins who were in town (shout out to the Caudle Clan!). My Granny, mom and Papa were also here.

We did things like, go see the new Disney movie, "Tangled" in 3D...

We went to my sister's house and had Thanksgiving dinner with everyone. Here's my beautiful niece with Ella.

We went into DC to see some monuments. A certain 11 year old really wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial and we took advantage of an opportunity to be tourists, so here we are taking a break with everyone...

And, my favorite Brother-in-Law let me and my Papa use his Redskins season tickets on Sunday. We metro-ed in and had a great time!

Aaaaaannnndd....we also got family portraits taken with EVERYONE together. There was 16 of us! And surprisingly the pics turned out great! (I say surprisingly only because I have a hard time getting my 3 to just all look at the camera together- 16 seemed to be impossible!) So, while waiting for the pics to be ready to look at, my sister and I used one of the set ups to do our own photo shoot...hee hee...

Anyway, there you go...

On another note- The Hubs is gone again. "WHAT?!" You say. "Didn't he JUST get back form Afghanistan like 3 and a half weeks ago?" The answer is yes. But that's the Army for you! It's weird though how normal it feels for him to be gone. We are all looking forward to him being home...until his next trip. sigh.

Thanksgiving

So, I hope everyone is over their tryptophan induced turkey comas, shopped to your hearts content (or wallet limit) for black Friday, and now look forward to Christmas time. I'm sure you've had a couple of turkey or ham sandwiches too.

We have family in town that we haven't seen in quite a while so it's been very nice to see them and visit. Doesn't hurt that my cousins happen to love to play with the girls! We went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday, all the girls (7 of us) went to the movies, and today we are off to DC to see the monuments. And it's cold. This could turn out good or bad- tune in later.

The Hubs won't let me put up the tree yet, but I'm dying to. When do you typically put up your tree? Day after Thanksgiving, or do you wait?

We are Alive!

It's been awhile, huh? All I can say is that with the Hubs back, it went from busy to busier around here. I will have to do better at making time for you! We are still alive and here are some pictures to prove it!

Avery at her school's Thanksgiving feast last week.

The Hubs and girls in DC taking time out for an ice cream break.

Ella and Daddy

Me and Ella and Avery

Daddy and Campbell

I Don't have a "Case of the Mondays", Do You?

There are a few things I want to talk about tonight, here we go!

Number 1- I HATE grocery shopping with a Passion! Capital P! It's such work for me as I fight everyone who can't seem to follow proper cart driving technique and drive it on the right side of the aisle. RIGHT SIDE people! Not in the middle, not on the left side- RIGHT SIDE! And why are you pushing your stroller AND a cart? Come on! I try and go either during the week or right after they open on the weekend. This weekend I was so completely unmotivated that I procrastinated until this afternoon. Big mistake. It was Sunday after church and it was payday weekend and it is about time people are trying to stock up on holiday stuff. As soon as I pulled up in the parking lot I knew it was gonna be bad. Awesome. But, now we have food and we can eat this week! Yay!

Number 2- Is it bad I hate weekends and LOVE weekdays? I thrive on having a planned schedule. I like to know what to expect and when. You already know this- you read my momAgenda post, right? Weekends mean that everyone is here at the house and no one has any purpose to their day. You've heard the saying "Idle hands are the devil's playthings"? Yeah. The girls get bored then cranky, then I get cranky, then Hubs gets cranky. It's a whole cranky cycle. Weekdays means we all have stuff to do, somewhere to go- yay! So- here's to Monday mornings! Raise your "I hate Mondays" coffee mug and clink them together people!

Number 3- Wait, I don't have a number 3.

Have a good Monday!

Leaves, Family and Being Thankful

When The Hubs got home we spent a few days couped up inside our house just us. Then we got to the Ohmygoshwehavebeeninsidewaytoolong phase and we had to get out! Lucky for him, there were leaves to be raked.

Ella and Cams had a blast playing in them.

On another note, have I told you that I could not have gotten through this deployment without all the support from our family and friends? Well, I couldn't have gotten through this deployment without family and friends. Seriously, I have the best support system. There are too many too name here, but you know who you are. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart and tell you that without you I would have surely gone bananas- wait- did I? Ok, well, more so. You were there listening to me ramble on about how hard it was and complain about the girls. You took my phone calls even though you were pretty sure I was having a crisis, but you always talked me down. You were also there making sure the girls had exactly what they needed. In an attempt to keep us busy I may have over scheduled us and you were there to help take the girls where they needed to be or helped me get to the store or helped dish out ice cream at the girls' birthday party. All of the help, big and little, was HUGE! I thank you a million times, but I know that's not enough. I hope to be able to help you like you have helped me. So- for you I am thankful!

Which brings me to our Thankful tree. The holidays are full of traditions, right? We have one in our house which I started maybe three years ago. I make a tree out of brown wrapping paper and cut some leaves out and we put it up on the wall in our kitchen. Every day I ask the girls what they are thankful for that day. Some are silly like spongebob while others are serious like friends and family. We put up our leaves after we write on them and at the end of the month we have a very full and pretty Thankful Tree. We just started this years tree, so there's not many leaves yet and it looks kinda weird to me for some reason. BUT, I was in Pottery Barn Kids when all the fall stuff came out and they have their own version of this tree. How cool is that? They must be spying on us!

What Thanksgiving traditions do you have in your house? Did you start them or is it something you grew up with?

He's Home!

This deployment is officially behind us! It feels incredibly good to finally say that. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off me. My husband,best friend and babies daddy is safe and sound and finally home.

He ended up getting home a little after 1:00am on Saturday. The girls were sleeping soundly so we didn't feel the need to wake them up. We waited until the next morning when he walked into the kitchen and surprised the two little ones. They ran to him and gave him big hugs. (I, of course, captured all this on video, however, I have no idea on how to transfer it to the computer- duh! Should be easy, right? No!) Avery was still sleeping so he decided to open her door and go wake her up. She was already out of bed by the time he opened her door and she ran and jumped in his arms. That's when I snapped this pic below. (yes, the girls have bedhead and may or may not have pants on- don't judge-Also? I know the picture isn't the best quality, sorry.)

The Hubs had massive amounts of hair. The man has never had that much hair in. his. LIFE! It was everywhere! The beard the man grew acted as it's own armor! Nothing could have penetrated that thing!

Obviously, I needed to take pictures and we had some fun while shaving it off.

We had a great weekend of laying around and getting everyone back to what we call normal. The girls didn't leave him alone all weekend, poor guy had them all over him at all times fighting over who got to sit beside him or on his lap.

Today, there's school and work. The girls were really anxious this morning as he announced he had to go to work. Ella even broke down crying after she watched him drive off. She calmed down as she got to school though. Poor girl. I really hope for their sake he gets some time off. Abandonment issues here we come! Great, another thing to have guilt for!

Wordless Wednesday

This was taken last summer, but I feel that it is very relevant today. Hubs is coming home soon and we are all waiting impatiently!

Help!

It seems I have forgotten. Again. "What now?", you say. How to cook. For a family, I mean. (Wow, fragmented sentences anyone?) When the Hubs is home I cook, we never go out to eat. I grocery shop once a week and plan out the meals. I try and make enough for dinner so there is some leftover for him to take to work. Whether he chooses to eat it or let it rot, I mean, sit in his truck, that's up to him. *sigh* Whatever.

I hate cooking. There I said it. I'd much rather someone else do it. The whole process of planning, making a grocery list, going to the grocery store, going up and down those aisles, putting groceries away and then actually preparing meals is not fun. So, while he's been gone I've eaten what the girls eat- not pretty. The hubs isn't gonna go for mac and cheese and hot dogs or chicken nuggets every night. He's pretty easy to please- but not that easy. I've gotten out of the habit of doing this and now as we look forward to him coming home I must start this process again.

I need your help though! Any and all recipes are welcome, especially any that are fast and family friendly- oh, and economical. What are your favorite family dinners? Please share!

Happy Halloween!

My Two Kitties and my Chef!

The Beginning of the End

So, it's the beginning to the end of this deployment. SoldierMan has begun his journey home. No telling how many flights, miles and time zones he'll have to go through to get home, but once he's home, these girls are not gonna let him go.

When we found out he was being deployed, there was a certain mental switch that got activated. You tend to start thinking of things and cherishing every. single. moment. Going to the grocery store? Ohmygosh, this might be the last time I go to the grocery store for him. Making Sunday waffles and sausage? Ohmygosh, this is the last time we get to eat this before he goes. Even routine stuff provided a countdown reminder- Cleaning the bathroom? Changing the sheets? Laundry? We fit in special family time too. We took a brief, but very fun filled trip to the mountains (could this be the last trip together?) Counting down the days before your loved one is sent to war is not a fun thing. This time around, I actually was in pre-mourning, if there is such a thing. I stayed up at nights with all the bad things that could happen to him running through my head. I could not stop thinking about what the Chaplin would say to me when he knocked on my door, or how I would tell the girls Daddy wasn't coming home, or what I would wear to his funeral. We actually talked about his funeral and what songs or poems he would want included. There was a long debate about where his would be buried. Would I take the girls? Are they too young? Do they need to say goodbye to him? We did all this with an eerie lack of emotion. I guess we had to. If I really had time to stop and think I simply could not go on. I watched special documentaries about Arlington National Cemetery and how the Iraq and Afghanistan war widows would visit. Some came everyday. Others would come for special occasions. Some would bring a cooler with drinks and some food and a chair and stay all day. Some would lay down beside the grave of their dear departed and take a nap as if the only relief from the exhausting grief was right there. I prayed I would never be one of them. I searched and found blogs written by war widows and would stay up at night and read how their soldier gave their life and how her world came crashing down. I would sob and my heart broke for these women. It still does.

After the Pre-mourning came the actual deployment. I made sure our schedule was jammed packed with activities. The girls and I did not need any time at all to stop and think about what was happening to our family. We went to swimming lessons, spent 4 -5 days at the pool every week, soccer practices, parks, back to school shopping, back to school, dance lessons, etc. Everyday we had something to do. And now? I'm exhausted. I don't think I could've kept that up for too much longer. How in the world did we ever do the 16 month deployment?! I hope I never have to do that again.

While my soldier is not home yet, I can feel that worry of him not coming home slowly disappear. I do not have to worry about getting that dreaded phone call, or hearing a knock on the door and seeing a Chaplin waiting for me. It's like we've won this game of Russian Roulette. You never know what can happen. I am hopeful and that feels great.

Dear Deployment,

You suck. That is all.

Sincerely,
Nicole

Wordless Wednesday

Fall Festival 2010

Today was the perfect day to go to the Fall Festival. Every fall festival/pumpkin patch is different, but this one has to be one of the best for our area. This one is more organized as a fall carnival with rides and games for the whole family. Face painting, pony rides, mini straw maze, pumpkin painting, food (yes they had funnel cakes, and no I didn't get one- but I thought of the Hubs because I know he would have had to have one), and of course a hay ride- to where?- a pumpkin patch? No, a Llama barn, of course! They really are cute but gross all at the same time. I tried to keep up with the girls and take lots of pictures. There aren't as many of Campbell as I'd like, but she's suddenly turned camera shy. And getting everyone to look at the camera, keep their eyes open and smile ALL AT THE SAME TIME? Only happened once folks. Enjoy!

About to get started...

Pumpkin Train- Cams' Favorite Part

Avery waiting patiently for a ride

Ella in the straw maze- her favorite part

And the ONE picture with all of us looking and smiling together- Yay!

*More pictures to come later.

Ten Things I Learned About Afghanistan By SoldierMan

Well, my time is finally winding down and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and for once, it is not the oncoming train.  I have had a great time, frustrating time, and rewarding time all at once.  I have made new friends who I will never forget because the bonds of friendship forged in combat and hardship are unlike any other.  As for Afghanistan, I can't wait to forget this place.  I knew very little about Afghanistan before I came here and have learned more than I ever wanted to know.  What exactly did I learn you ask?  Well, here you go....

  
 

1.  The clock stopped here in the 10th Century and never restarted.  This country will never make it out of the Dark Ages.

2.  There are so many poopy particles in the air that when it rains, it rains poop. 

3.  It is very dry.  Dry to the point the skin on your joints will crack and bleed. 

4.  Everyone here uses the same baby book with the same 20 names.  Try and find a village that doesn't have a Mohammed, I dare you.

5.  No one here knows why it is a good idea to have clean clothes...or wash themselves with soap on a regular basis.

6.  There is no concept of personal responsibility.  They believe everything should be done for them.

7.  Using the bathroom on the side of the road in full view of everyone is perfectly acceptable.

8.  People here live in the present.  They do not plan or care about the future. 

9.  I should get into the cell phone card business here.  There are no cell phone bills...you buy a phone card which is expensive...or you do without.  Your choice.

10. The only thing we can do to fix Afghanistan is crank up the Enola Gay...

 
 

 

** Note- These ideas represent the views of one soldier and do not reflect those of the whole US military. If this offends you in any way- don't read it.

 

Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

We've had our pumpkins for a couple of weeks now and initially we had four- one for each of the girls and one for Daddy and me. About 3 or 4 days after setting them out front (before carving) squirrels got to one and chomped away and left it for bugs and slugs and it was a rotting mess. I had to tell Avery the squirrels must have carried it away up the tree to their nest. And, yes, she believes it. Anyway, today we got around to carving- and when I say "we" I mean, Me! Sure, the girls posed for the pictures below, but don't let them fool you. The Hubs usually does the carving. He tries to be unique and does things more advanced than I can do. This year, I offered the girls their choice of shapes, you know- triangles, circles and hearts. I think they turned out pretty good- for me!

Hallo-week?

Can we just take a look and peek what's around the corner, folks? Halloween. Yes, I'm sure you all are aware that it's next weekend. Well, it's really from next Thursday night thru Sunday nights here at my house. I guess that's what happens between 2 schools and church and friends and Halloween night trick-or-treating. That's a lot of dressing up people. One night is great, two is ok, three it's just gets old and 4 times? Well, too much, I say! And what am I supposed to do with all that candy?! We still have most of it from last year! On top of that, I have all the candy left over from the girls' birthday party! My house is like Willy Wonka's candy factory! Tootsie rolls, dum-dums and twizzlers- Oh My! Something has to give. We'll see if I can cut it down some. Stay tuned.

Also, The SoldierMan is coming home after that. Hopefully. I say that because we've been burned before. When he went to Iraq he was extended at the end for an extra 4 months and on this deployment he's already been extended again. He was actually supposed to be home already. So, now, we hope for the best , but expect the worst. I let myself get too excited before and was very disappointed and sad, but what can I do, right? "Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!" ~Dory from Finding Nemo. It's a common thing in the military today, and I guess it has always been like that. Families just do what they are told and sit back and wait. Military and the country come first. We hear things like, "It'll be so good to finally have him home." Or "I don't know how you do it." Or "Can't wait till he gets out of there." Yes, I don't know either and yes. People say these things to me everyday and I must look cold and heartless when I just nod my head and not offer any elaboration that I know they are expecting. It's just exhausting . I can't think about wanting him home 24/7- I'd die. I have to not let myself go there. I can't think of the love of my life, my children's father in harm's way. I see pictures of him in all his Afghanistany glory and I still don't let myself make that connection. When he comes home and can tell me about what it's like there and things he did, that's when the wall can come down. Our girls miss their Daddy terribly. Ella cries for him everyday. So- here you go everyone- We will ALL be glad when he can come home safely to us. And when he does come home, you'll know it!

::steps down from soapbox::

I hope you all have a great weekend filled with Fall Activities, like going on a leaf hunt or going to a pumpkin patch, which is what we have planned.

BTW- if you are a nice person, please click on the "follow" button- I promise that no one sees your email address or personal information- really Granny! :) Thanks for all the followers already!

Wordless Wednesday

SoldierMan

Looky Looky!

I have wanted a momAgenda since Avery was born but could never remember to tell anyone or justify it when I only had one kid and she wasn't in school yet. I always had a planner I carried around with me when I was in school and when I got married, I didn't have a schedule anymore- so out went the planners. Skip to now and you'll find me extremely overwhelmed by everything going on in this house. I can tell you I've never been so busy or overscheduled in my life. It was getting to the point I was forgetting things like important forms for schools, or a playdate or I even forgot Avery had school one day! Yeah, I know. And not all the girls are in school or activities yet! Wait till next fall when Cams can go to swimming lessons, school, soccer, etc. etc! Ok- I have to stop imagining- I'm starting to hyperventilate. Anyways, I told my lovely, gracious and giving sister I wanted one for my birthday or Christmas this year. But then I realized I couldn't wait another week without one.

You're probably wondering why I didn't just get myself to Target or Staples and get me a planner. Well, momAgenda is tailored to moms. They have a space to schedule for each kid and also places for planning dinners and other vital information that swims around in my head. Now, there's a place for it all and all in it's place. Wanna see? www.momAgenda.com Aren't they beautiful?

See what came today?

And there she is! Isn't she awesome? She'll never leave my side. I also have to say the the gift packaging was beautiful! The pink box is not a cardboard box, but a nice sturdy canvas type one and the ribbon around it is a nice thick grosgrain one. The tissue paper was even gorgeous! It was a shimmery pearlized gold. She also got me the weekly planner pad too so everyone can see what to expect for the week ahead. Great idea for when The Hubs gets home and I take off- he'll know who has what lesson and what to make for dinner.

Thank you Thank you to my wonderful sister! Happy Birthday to me!

Do you have a planner? Do you use momAgenda too?

PS- SoldierMan is ok, just a sprained wrist and thumb. Should be back to 100% soon.

Potty Training Miss Daisy

Let me take you into a scene that is getting pretty familiar around my house. It involves a buck naked toddler and me. "Campbell, you can be a big girl and go pee pee in the potty like Avery and Ella!" Her response, "NO!" To which I try, "Yes! You can wear panties!" I'm all excited and using my high pitched mommy voice that I use when I want to get them to do something. "We can go to the store and pick out Spongebob panties!" She gets excited "Oh My Gosh!" (yes, she says that) "Spongebob?!" Me- "Oh yes, all you have to do is go pee pee in the potty!" Her- "I don't wanna go pee pee!" UGH. OK, I'll try and put my foot down. "You sit on the potty and go pee pee." "No." Cut to several minutes later and a lot of repetition of this and you find me caving in and letting her off the potty to go watch Spongebob- still naked. I tried the pull-up way with Avery. It took me 4 months! I tried the bare butt method with Ella. She was done in three days! So, I'm currently using that method. Back to Campbell- "Uh oh!" She freezes and starts crying. Immediately knowing what that means I wisk her away to the potty to sit her down. She still won't finish. Inside my head I scream. What else can I do?! Today after church we come home and I strip the girl down again and she goes to sit on the potty. It's just the OhHiIJustWantToSitandThenGetUpandNotPeePee visit. Awesome. I put the other girls down for naps and quiet time and come back to the bathroom. I have made up my mind to sit there even if it takes all day long. If she could just make the connection and finally just pee! Just once- maybe she would have a lightbulb moment and pee pee in the potty all the time. Case closed. 30 minutes later and the kid is winning. At this point, 30 minutes feels like all day. I know I'm stubborn, but this girl may have me beat. I promise an M&M if she goes potty. "M&M?!" She smiles from ear to ear, gets excited and then in all in the same thought she frowns as she realizes this means she has to pee pee first. Smart kid, must take after me. J Just kidding babe. "M&M and a sticker?" "Oh My Gosh!" She squeals with delight again. But still no pee. "Go potty." "No." "Go pee pee." "No." At this point I know she has to go because she stands up every so often and squats a little and some drops go down her leg. (sorry- is that too much? I think we're past me asking that though…) At this point I'm sitting on the big potty with my feet propped up on the tub with my eyes closed. Sigh. Ok, I give up, she knows what I want her to do. I concede and we go upstairs. She reaches the top before me because I stay downstairs for a tick more to let the dog in. I hear screaming and crying from the top of the stairs…sigh…gee, I wonder what could be happening? I run up and see her standing over what should have been done downstairs 45 minutes ago, but in the potty and not on my rug. "Ok, Campbell, pull-up time and bed." She stops crying and we go clean her up and put her down. I hate potty training. It's a main reason I'm not have any more kids. I have been dreading this since I found out I was pregnant with her. Anyone have any tips for potty training a hard-headed, stubborn, diva? Please help! Better yet- come over!

Also? Can Halloween please hurry up and come bc I almost ate an entire bag of Reese's PB cups writing this post. AND I am getting really tired of the Halloween decorations and the 5 billion "Fall Harvest" parties, "Fall Carnivals" and "Trunk or Treats". It used to be just one night, right? When did it turn into all this?

And- just talked to the SoldierMan. He's looking forward to coming home, but got extended for another couple of weeks. (of course) So, he should be home after Halloween. AND- he just hurt his hand. Something about running and falling and now it's swollen. He says he'll go to the doc in the morning if it's not better. I'll keep you posted.

Finally! Birthday Party pics!

OK, it's been a week, I know, I know. I've been busy is all I can say.

The pictures don't really do it justice though. There were so many kids here. I never did a head count but there had to be at least 40 kids plus their parents! We had a very full house! I think they girls had a great time, they actually came up to me and told me Thank you for the bounce house and thank you for the party. I mean, what kid wouldn't love a candy themed party with a jump house?!

Wordless Wednesday

Ella's rejected Halloween Costume

Photo Shoot!

Avery's 6 Year photos

Ella's 4 Year photos

Sunday Funday

After church this morning we rushed to post to get to a birthday party only to find it didn't start for another hour and a half, ugh. So, we had lunch and shopped at the PX. The girls got a little goofy...Finally it was time for the party. So off we went and bowled with the birthday boy. Unfortunately we missed the second party, but we caught up with them at the park to give the other birthday boy his gift. Happy Birthday everyone! Now, time to detox from the sugar!

Birthday Pictures

These pics were taken on their actual birthday. (Of course these are backwards and I'm way to tired to figure out how to reverse them, so just keep that in mind.) The pictures from the party today will be posted when I can get them all together and sorted out. Shout out to Rebecca for helping me document the party. Not only did she take pics with my camera, she took them with hers and did some video too! Thank you! So, as soon as I can get them, I'll post them.